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Our first day at STARBASE was amazing! STARBASE is a special STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program that we have been invited to participate in. Take a look at some of our incredible learning experiences.

Well, that was fun! Our class is participating in an awesome STEM, Project Based Learning program called, STARBASE.

This program investigates areas of Chemistry, Engineering Design Process, Robotics, Logic and Math, Fluid Mechanics & Aerodynamics, to name a few. The students were so excited (and I was too!) Check out our Animoto to have a look at some of our learning.

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We have 4 more STARBASE sessions, so stayed tuned for more awesomeness!

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Techie Kids– What was your favorite part of our first day of STARBASE?

Blogging Buddies– Have you participated in any similar programs or projects in your class? Tell us about it.

Today, we were able to meet Mrs. Monaghan’s class in England through Skype. During our blogging conversations, we discovered words we didn’t know and items we hadn’t heard before. We found out that we sometimes call the same things by different names. So, we decided to play a game of International Show and Tell.

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Middleham started us off, “We think you might not know what a Fat Rascal is.” And, we didn’t. When they showed us what it looked like, we yelled, “It’s a cookie!” They told us it was actually a scone. None of the children in our class eat scones, but adults sometimes have it with coffee.

They continued to challenge us with Flat CapIRN BRUDouble DeckerRugbyTeletubbies& Freddo

We knew 3 of their terms.

The Techie Kids tried a few of our own terms too. We asked if they knewGatoradeSkylandersS’MoresVernorsBand-AidBarrette

.They knew or were able to figure out most of these terms. We loved hearing what they called some of the items. We found out that the drink we call pop, they call “fizzy drinks.” They call Band-Aids, “plasters” and barettes, “hair-slides.”

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Here’s an Animoto of the excitement.

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Only 1 student in Mrs. Monaghan’s class had heard of a S’More before. They told us that they would be going camping soon. We thought it was important that they knew how to make these delicious snacks before they left!

Today our first group of Techie Kids had their first chance to Skype while they were at school. We were able to meet Mrs. Kistler and the 49er’s. We were so excited!

This year, 3rd graders learn about our great state of Michigan. We have worked hard to find out about Michigan’s natural resources, symbols, and landmarks. Today we were able to learn about Texas from kids who actually live there!

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This is a Google Earth screen shot of the 49er’s state taken by Ben.

*Madisyn used Google Maps to calculate the distance between our schools. We found out that we are 1,469 miles away, which was about a 22 hour drive. We thought we’d need to pack some snacks, like pretzels, for that drive!

*Here is some of what we learned:

One of Texas’ natural resources is oil. They use salsa as frequently as others use ketchup.The bluebonnet flower is a symbol of Texas and you better not be caught picking one on someone else’s land!Summers in Texas are very hot.Dr. Pepper was created in Waco, Texas.The Alamo, Sea World, and the River Walk are some of their landmarks.One of their state symbols is a Cowboy!Ants in Texas bite!You better double and triple check your backpack before you go anywhere…you just might find a stowaway scorpion!

It is always fun to meet new friends. Both of our classes were ready to talk about our communities. Here is some of what we learned.

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For fun…They visit the Minnesota Zoo or the Como Zoo. The Como Zoo is free!The 3rd graders can go to the Mall of America, but this isn’t just any mall. It’s the biggest mall in the United States. They even have roller coasters inside called Nickelodeon Universe! Mrs. Moore has actually been there and can verify that it would take a long time to visit all of the stores and see everything there is to see. 🙂

*Many students visit their cabins on the weekends.Their community has the largest free fair in the state. It is held in August.

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Several of the students shared about some special jobs that their families have.Gopher Sport makes athletic and fitness equipment.Viracon-This company makes the glass and tints for windows. Their glass is being used in the new World Trade Center building in New York.Construction and Insurance– This area provides insurance to many large companies.Josten’s– They created the designs for the Super Bowl rings.Mayo Clinic– This is a very special, well-known medical center that helps to diagnose and treat patients.

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Their community has about 25,000 people.We discovered that our temperatures are very similar, which makes sense because we are very close in location. They are hoping to get some snow tonight!

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Thank you for helping us learn more about our world!*

Do you have any questions you did not have time to ask?

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Tell us a fun fact about the area you live in.

The Techie Kids are so excited because they were finally able to Skype with Mr. Avery’s class! This was the first time that students in this building have been able to Skype at school. For many of the children it was their first time using Skype ever! 61 Techie Kids were able to sit in on this call.
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*We have learned so much this year from our blogging buddies. Here are just a few of the things we learned when meeting our friends.The capital of Massachusetts and most populous city is Boston. Massachusetts is ranked 14th in population out of the 50 states in our country. That’s pretty significant because they are one of our smallest states in size.4 of our United States presidents were born in Massachusetts! They were John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and George Herbert Walker Bush. That is pretty amazing!Massachusetts’ state bird is the Black-Capped Chickadee, their state dog is the Boston Terrier, and their state cat is the Tabby cat. A few of the Techie Kids have Boston Terriers and Tabby cats as pets.The Massachusetts state flower is the Mayflower. That got our students attention because we had just learned a lot about the ship the Mayflower in the weeks leading up until Thanksgiving.Their state nickname is the Bay State.Massachusetts is 10,555 sq miles.The highest point is Mt. Greylock at 3,491 feet.Mr. Avery’s class likes to play soccer and football.We compared their life near the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean to our life near the fresh waters of the Great Lakes.We learned that their wildlife is very similar to ours with the exception of the Right Whale! Right as opposed to “left” or “wrong.” We couldn’t believe that so many of them were able to go whale watching.Mr. Avery’s class has really inspired our students to create their own videos. They even shared their movie making process with us. To see some of their amazing videos, CLICK HERE and HERE.

*Check out some of the pictures that the Techie Kids took during our Skype call.

***Are there any other interesting facts about Massachusetts that you think we should know?

What was your favorite part about our Skype call?

Do you collect so much Halloween candy that you still have leftovers at Easter? If so, here is a great way to put that extra candy to good use! The U.S. Military currently has hard working men and women stationed overseas. They would greatly appreciate a sweet snack. Starting today through next Monday, November 7th, our students and families can donate their extra Halloween candy (or any candy), and it will be sent overseas to our troops.

Not only is this a nice thing to do for our troops, but it will also get our students thinking about healthy choices. It is a healthy choice to only eat candy in moderation, and many of us get much more candy than can be eaten in moderation. So this is a great opportunity to shareandfocus on our health.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and thank you for thinking about healthy eating choices.